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Fortnite and other addictive video games can have a similar effect on children’s brains as drug abuse or alcoholism, MRI scans reveal.

They show the “reward” system in the brains of young heavy users of social media and video games display the same changes in function and structure as those of alcoholics or drug addicts.

A series of studies by California State University found the impulsive part of the brain, known as the amygdala-striatal system, was not only more sensitive but also smaller in excessive users so that it processed the stimuli of social media or games faster.

The findings come as Britain’s children are gripped by the Fortnite video game, with one nine-year-old reportedly admitted to rehab after becoming so addicted she wet herself rather than leave the screen and primary schools urging parents to ban their children from playing them.

On Monday, the Daily Telegraph launched the Duty of Care campaign calling on ministers to make social media and online gaming companies subject to a statutory duty to protect children from harms such as addiction, bullying and grooming when using their services.

One nine-year-old was reportedly admitted to rehab after becoming so addicted to the game Fortnite

Ministers are considering new measures to rein in the worst excesses of online tech companies amid fears a generation of young people is being harmed by unregulated use of social media and online gaming platforms.

One leading internet addiction expert who has treated children playing the game said Fortnite’s addictive quality was such that it made Beatlemania look like a passing whim and had captivated the young in the same way as the nation was swept up by the “Princess Diana effect”.

According to the studies led by Professor Ofir Turel, of California State University, the impact on the young’s brains is marked: “Say someone sees a video game or cellphone, this reward system in the brain lights up. It’s a very strong activation compared to other people.

“It is associated with structural change in that this brain area is smaller in people who are excessive users. The smaller system can process associations much faster. But like a car, you need to put more gas into it to generate more power.”

There was, however, an up-side in that the studies showed the part of brain responsible for “self-control” over their impulses was not affected in the same way for excessive social media users as other addictions such as drink or drugs.

“It means most people can control their social media behaviour but they just don’t have the motivation to do so,” said Professor Turel. This was less evident for heavy video gamers, where self-control appeared to be impeded.

More worrying, however, was the risk that excessive usage could be changing children’s brain reward systems in the long term, making them more susceptible to other addictions later in life.

“The question is if you sensitise their reward system at a young age with video games and social media, does it increase their risk to become addicted to drugs or drink later in life?” said Professor Turel.

His initial research suggests there is an association between heavy video game users aged 13 to 15 and an increased likelihood of misusing at least one of 15 substances from cocaine to amphetamines.

A third study by his research team found the internet addiction also disrupted the connections between the left and right sides of young people’s brains. “When the tracks that connect these parts of the brain are not efficient, people are more prone to develop addictions,” said Professor Turel.

“There’s a much bigger risk factor for [addicted] children because their brains are flexible. Some parts of the brain develop until they are 17, others are not fully developed until they are 25.

The nine-year old girl now in rehab would secretly play the survival shooter game during the nightCredit:
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“The development of the reward or impulse system is much faster compared to the development of the self-control system. It means that if you take someone who is 13 years old,they will have a mature reward system but self-control system is not as well developed.

“So they are much more pre-disposed for impulsive and risky behaviours. With children there is room for regulation. They need our protection. Their brains are not as efficient as ours.”

The addictive quality of Fortnite, which has been downloaded 40m times since last July, has been picked up by Dr Richard Graham, who set up the UK’s first internet addiction clinic at the private Nightingale hospital in London.

He said all the young patients he was treating did play the game alongside other internet activities, with one playing it through the night.

He said: “In six months, it has made Beatlemania look like a passing whim. You are dealing with something akin to the massive Diana effect that swept up everyone.

The multi-player format, where, in the Battle Royale version up to 100 players fight each other until one is left standing, engendered a “crowd mentality.”

“You have a mass crowd effect where you have engagement that sweeps you along,” said Dr Graham. “The fear of missing out is also part of what drives it. It’s something you can’t almost not be a part of.”

Concerned parents have taken to forums such as Mumsnet to voice their fears. One mother wrote of her primary school age son: “Yesterday he saw a poster with a man and child in a swimming pool ... and commented that it would be a perfect shot to blow their heads off.”

Another added that her son, aged nine, had become addicted and she had imposed a ban on the game after his ‘behaviour deteriorated massively’. She wrote: “It was awful to see how angry he was becoming ... I seriously wish I’d never let him on it.”

The nine-year old girl now in rehab would secretly play the survival shooter game during the night and didn't even get up to use the toilet because she couldn't prise herself away from the screen.

The girl, who is now in intensive therapy to combat her addiction, would play for up to 10 hours a day. Worn out from all-night sessions, she dozed off at school.

She even lashed out at her father when he tried to confiscate her Xbox gaming console. The girl's mother said: “We had no idea, when we let her play the game, of the ­addictive nature or the impact it could have on her mental health.”

The World Health Organisation declared in January that internet gaming addiction will be classified as a mental disorder. Last weekend The Daily Telegraph revealed a 15-year-old boy was set to be diagnosed with the condition in the first case of its kind in Britain. He has spent eight weeks in hospital due to his addiction and has not been to school for a year after losing confidence to go outside.